Tag Archives: Jeff Gordon

Mark Martin’s Fitness Regimen Redefined the NASCAR Athlete and Prolonged a Winning Career

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Team owner Jack Roush (L) and Mark Martin, driver of the #6 Viagra Ford, celebrate winning the NASCAR Nextel Cup Series Banquet 400 on October 9, 2005 at the Kansas Speedway in Kansas City, Kansas. Photo – Rusty Jarrett/Getty Images

To the surprise of no one, Mark Martin continued to win races at the highest level well past an age when most competitors have hung up their helmets.

With five victories past the age of 50, Martin also came within one standings position of winning the 2009 premier series championship.

The phrase ‘age is just a number’ may be cliché – but it certainly applied to the diminutive Martin, whose fitness regimen of heavy weight lifting and healthy eating became legend and ultimately sent his fellow competitors flocking to gyms and nutritionists.

In short, Martin lived his life like a man half his age – and drove like it as well.

“I told the guys I don’t have any problem keeping up with a 25-year-old,” he told The Associated Press in April 2009 after becoming the third-oldest winner in NASCAR premier series history at Phoenix International Raceway. “I feel really good.”

Only one driver – Harry Gant – won more races after his 50th birthday. Martin polished off a 40-victory resume during a magical year driving for Hendrick Motorsports in 2009, adding to his 35 wins at Roush Fenway Raceway. That’s the most wins by a competitor without a series championship. Continue reading →

Gordon Readies for Racing Return, Aiming for Elusive Rolex 24 Victory

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Jeff Gordon (R) and Jordan Taylor stand in the garage with the Wayne Taylor Racing No. 10 Konica Minolta Cadillac DPi-V.R team during an IMSA test session at Daytona International Speedway on December 13, 2016
Photo – Courtesy of DIS

Jeff Gordon doesn’t just pay attention to details.

He’s a details hound – meticulous, precise – even for a guy who’s retired.

“I never said I was retiring,” Gordon said.

That was a big detail to remember Friday as Gordon drove a sleek, new Cadillac prototype on a sun-drenched Daytona International Speedway.

He turned laps on the road course in preparation for the upcoming Rolex 24, the twice-around-the-clock pinnacle of American sports car racing. The race isn’t until January 28-29, but Gordon needs all of the track time he can get right now. Continue reading →

Diverse Paths Lead Six Drivers to Top Honors in NASCAR

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From left, Burt Myers, Cayden Lapcevich, Todd Gilliland, Anthony Kumpen, Justin Haley and Doug Coby show off their NASCAR championship rings at the end of Saturday's NASCAR Touring Series Night of Champions at the Charlotte Convention Center. Photo - Getty Images

From left, Burt Myers, Cayden Lapcevich, Todd Gilliland, Anthony Kumpen, Justin Haley and Doug Coby show off their NASCAR championship rings at the end of Saturday’s NASCAR Touring Series Night of Champions at the Charlotte Convention Center. Photo – Getty Images

NASCAR Night of Champions Recognizes Touring Series Titlest

It was the fourth time Doug Coby took the stage to accept a NASCAR championship ring. As the elder statesman on the stage, the Milford, Connecticut, driver took a moment to reflect.

“It seems like just yesterday I was standing right here giving a speech for my first championship and now here I am for number four,” said 37-year-old from Milford, Connecticut. “But a lot has changed in the five years since my first championship, and in fact it has been a great five years for all of the series champions.”

Continue reading →

Stewart Says Goodbye with Wry Humor and Little Fanfare—the Way he Likes It

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HOMESTEAD, FL - NOVEMBER 18: Tony Stewart, driver of the #14 Always a Racer/Mobil 1 Chevrolet, speaks with the media during a press conference prior to practice for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Ford EcoBoost 400 at Homestead-Miami Speedway on November 18, 2016 in Homestead, Florida. Photo by Jonathan Ferrey/Getty Images

HOMESTEAD, FL – NOVEMBER 18: Tony Stewart, driver of the #14 Always a Racer/Mobil 1 Chevrolet, speaks with the media during a press conference prior to practice for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Ford EcoBoost 400 at Homestead-Miami Speedway on November 18, 2016 in Homestead, Florida. Photo by Jonathan Ferrey/Getty Images

Most people probably think the next chapter in Tony Stewart’s life begins on Sunday night, after he races his final laps in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series.

But from Stewart’s perspective, the next phase of his life starts on Saturday, a day before Sunday’s Ford EcoBoost 400 at 2:30 pm on NBC, his final race in NASCAR’s premier division.

Saturday is when he gets a new cell phone to replace the one stolen on Thursday night.

Someone presumed to be a pickpocket bumped into Stewart when he and his girlfriend stopped at a carnival on the way from Miami Beach to Homestead and pilfered the cell phone from the driver’s pocket. Continue reading →

Gordon Enjoys – Perhaps – his Last Run at Martinsville

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Photo - Robert Laberge/Getty Images

Photo – Robert Laberge/Getty Images

Jeff Gordon doesn’t plan to race again in a NASCAR Sprint Cup Series car – unless team owner Rick Hendrick twists his arm.

But Gordon hopes circumstances won’t force him into another substitute role. Competing in place of ailing Dale Earnhardt Jr. for the last time this season, Gordon finished sixth on Sunday in his Martinsville swan song.

“Well, I had a lot of fun out there,” Gordon said after the race. “It’s great to be here in front of all these awesome short track and Martinsville NASCAR fans. It’s just a special place to me, and I had a lot of fun and had a great car. This No. 88 Nationwide Chevrolet was really good. I knew we didn’t have the short-run speed for some of those Gibbs cars…

“I would rather have won. I felt like we had a fourth-or-fifth-place car the run before that (last run), so I always wanted to get the most out of it. I was a little disappointed it didn’t take off there at the last yellow, but very proud of this team proud of my performance. Best finish I’ve had in this car (subbing for Earnhardt). Good way to finish my run this year in the No. 88 Chevy.”

Notice Gordon said “my run this year” and not “my career.”